Ramphomicron microrhyncha (Small-billed Thornbill)

Created through lithography, the image was first drawn onto stone, printed in black, then meticulously hand‑coloured with water‑based pigments. The process allowed for fine line work that captures feather texture and subtle colour shifts, while the hand‑applied washes give the background a soft, atmospheric quality.

The plate formed part of Gould’s seven‑volume *The Birds of Australia*, published between 1840 and 1848. Gould collaborated with his wife Elizabeth, as well as artists Edward Lear and Henry Constantine Richter, who assisted in drawing and engraving the images that populated the series.

During the mid‑19th century, European naturalists sought comprehensive visual records of newly described fauna. Gould’s publications supplied scientists and collectors with some of the first detailed visual references for Australian avifauna, influencing subsequent field studies and taxonomic work.

Gould’s lithographs remain reference points for ornithologists and historians, illustrating early scientific illustration methods. The Small‑billed Thornbill plate exemplifies the blend of artistic skill and scientific observation that defined Victorian natural history publishing.